Page 99 of Hidden Truths

She snorts and looks at us. “I know you’re Harlow Ray, and Callahan and Bellamy Griffin. Just like I know you’re Malikai Irons and ‘Ethan’ is Ezra Irons.”

“Uh. No. I’m, uh, Mark?” Cal says. I pat his leg. I can see in Fiona’s eyes that she knew who we were the moment we walked in the door.

“Shattered Halo fan?” I ask.

“True crime. I’m looking forward to your podcast,” she admits.

“Are you the one who answered the phone when I called?” I ask her. She flinches before nodding.

“I just started following the case. When you called, I was worried you’d bring press and who knows what else here. I didn’t even realize Ezra was Ethan. The image I have in my head from when I was younger doesn’t really match with him,” she says, pointing at Kai. “But when my granddad insisted that Kai was Ethan when we saw you doing that live performance on the morning show, I realized he was right.”

“You knew he was my missing brother, but didn’t say anything?” Kai asks her, the accusation clear in his tone.

“Ethan was hiding from something. How was I supposed to know if you were the something or not?” she says, crossing her arms defiantly. “I remember how much he flinched every time the bell over the door would ring, signaling someone coming into the store.”

“That’s fair,” I admit.

“You’re the one I emailed?” Joseph says, looking at me, but giving a side look to his granddaughter. I don’t think he knew about the phone call.

“I am. We planned to come and ask you some questions, but you threw us with the Ethan stuff,” I explain.

“We’re identical, in your defense,” Kai says.

“I’d say,” Joseph says, taking a napkin from the dispenser in the center of the table and dabbing his forehead.

“You really don’t know where he went or who the boy was?” I ask Fiona.

“I was young when he left, and I don’t remember him saying anything about where. His dad showed up a few months after he got here and they moved into a house a town over from here,” Fiona says and then looks at her grandfather. “Granddad, do you remember when his dad sold the house?”

“Gerald didn’t sell it. He was renting from Bea over at the post office. I think he moved right around when Ethan, uh, Ezra, moved.”

“Maybe he left a forwarding address for his mail,” I say to Belle. I’m assuming Gerald is actually Gavin, but I could be wrong.

“Oh, he didn’t. I asked so I could mail Eth-Ezra his things,” Joseph says. The poor man is struggling with the name change.

“What things?” Kai asks, looking close to tears. I can’t blame him. If Ezra really was here four years ago, that means we have proof of life beyond anything we’ve had so far.

“I still have it in a box out back. Fiona?”

“I’m on it,” she says, getting up and going to the back room.

“I apologize. I had no idea you were looking for your brother when I sent that email,” Joseph says.

“Don’t apologize. You were just trying to get in touch with a boy you knew and got his twin instead,” Kai says, emotion clogging his voice.

“Can I ask what happened? Fiona loves things like this, but I don’t follow it at all.”

I give him a brief summary, saving Kai from having to do it. As it is, he looks down at his hands as I explain everything.

“Here you go,” Fiona says once I finished my story. She sets a white box on the table. The side says ‘Ethan’ in black marker.

I think everyone at the table holds their breath as Kai reaches his hand in. He pulls out a picture and stares at it for less than a second before he bursts into tears. Alarmed, Belle grabs the picture and Kai at the same time. She hugs him tightly and gasps when she looks at the picture.

“Let me see,” Cal says, snatching it from her. I look at it with him. “Holy shit.”

It’s Ezra in front of this exact store with his arm around his dad. They’re both smiling at the camera.

“Holy shit!” Cal yells, jumping up from the table. “He’s alive.” Cal slumps back into the chair just as quickly as he left it and cries. I hold him to me, tears falling from my own eyes.

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